Linda Wang is the Founder and CEO of Karuna Skin and sister brand Avatara, known for being the first to bring Asian sheet masks to the U.S.
Before starting her company, Linda spent 11 years in fashion merchandising, the training shaped her gusty instincts for spotting trends.
Her interest in skincare stemmed from an ongoing struggle since childhood with allergies, rashes, and eczema.
As an adult, her focus sharpened on resolving this deeply personal issue since it affects so many others around the world.
She launched Karuna in 2009, sensing these revolutionary time-saving masks would be a hit among American beauty aficionados.
The sharply-packaged retail line has gained the interests of beauty giants like Sephora, Ulta, etc.
From her years of training as a buyer and knowing how trends work, in 2017, she launched her second brand Avatara, inspired by her teenage nieces by offering fun, quality, clean, and affordable skincare products launched in Target stores nationwide.
During the last 12 years of building both brands, Linda encountered her share of challenges; increased competition, the explosion of interest in fast beauty, and the rise of more store brands entering the category.
In 2018, the Karuna brand faced hardship as the sheet mask category became commoditized, and in response, she pivoted and created the Balancing Collection, a daily topical skin care line now available at Whole Foods Market nationwide.
Sister brand, Avatara has also seen tremendous growth with Target, and anticipating more national doors rollout this year.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
Resources:
If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!
143 | Is Shopify Dropshipping Still Viable in 2021? | with Eugene Ravitsky
142 | Fostering Relationships is Your Secret Superpower | with Sadie Scheffer
141 | Finding Product-Market Fit Through Crowdfunding | with Colby Kane
140 | Compassion and Community as a Strong Brand Foundation | with Suzanne Lerner
139 | Why You Should Focus More on AOV Instead of ROAS | with Hayden Wadsworth
138 | The "Entire Funnel" Perspective to Post-Purchase | with Emily Foreman
137 | Optimizing a Grow a Very Unique Business | with Johnathan Ruggiero
136 | Migrating Over to Shopify | with Jazmin Alvarez
135 | Success is Boring? | with George Bryant
134 | Getting Discounts on Other People's Mistakes | with Mike Jackness
133 | Vendors Are Not Evil | with Chip Overstreet
132 | The "Why" That Filters Out All Your Business Decisions | with Nora Schaper
131 | 3 Segments to Model Your Customer's LTV | with Will Laurenson
130 | A “Mistake” That Earned Half a Million Dollars | with Ian Leslie
129 | Where Do You Go When Facebook Blows Over? | with Lindsey Johnson
128 | Why You Should “Hurt” Your Email List | with Lindsey McCoy
127 | Accidentally Launching a Brand Before Delivering a Baby| with Ashley Merrill
126 | Branding Sustainability the Right Way | with Emma Cohen
125 | Having a Social Impact Through Ecommerce | with Hannah Davis
124 | Busting the Myth of Sending More Emails | with Kyle Brucculeri
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
NABOR® TALKS
U.S Property Podcast
Aligned Money Show
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money